What Tenpos Holding does

Tenpos Holding (株式会社テンポスホールディングス) is a Tokyo-headquartered Japanese holding company that operates Japan's largest retail network for used commercial kitchen equipment under the 'Tenpos Busters' brand, with 80 physical stores nationwide (reaching that count in April 2026) supplemented by an e-commerce platform (tenpos.com), an online auction service, and the in-house 'Smiler' industry publication. Its core business is the sourcing, inspection, refurbishment and resale of second-hand restaurant equipment — including cooking appliances, refrigeration, storage, chairs and tables — at price points reported as 30–70% below new-equipment costs, with downstream logistics handled in partnership with Yamato Transport. Beyond equipment brokerage, the group delivers a full restaurant-lifecycle service offering branded 'Doctor Tenpos': property introduction (including 'inuki' turnkey restaurants), opening consulting, financing assistance, interior construction matching, recruitment (D-SPARK subsidiary), and ongoing maintenance (Sunrise Service subsidiary).

The company's revenue model is a multi-stream mix anchored by one-time used-equipment sales across physical and online channels, with secondary streams in transaction-fee auction services, professional-services consulting for restaurant openings and closures, and direct restaurant operations through wholly-owned chains (steakhouse Asakuma, fresh-fish/dining Yamato Sakana, market-hall Marche) acquired in recent years. Customer segments are SMB restaurant operators across formats — ramen, cake/sweets, cafes, bakeries, yakiniku, soba/udon, Italian, izakaya and hotels — with a cumulative 114,790 openings supported since inception. Pricing is quote-based and condition-dependent rather than standardized.

Strategic direction is increasingly defined by M&A-driven vertical integration and overseas expansion. Management has publicly targeted ¥2 trillion in group sales and ¥50 billion in restaurant operations (per Nikkei interview, June 2025), designated 2024 as the first year of overseas expansion, completed three acquisitions in 12 months (Sunrise Service, Meiwa Manufacturing, Marche), and is opening format-specific consulting facilities (Tokyo and Osaka Ramen Specialty Facilities). Despite a 'private' flag in intake data, the company files kessan tanshin (earnings reports), semi-annual yuho (securities reports), corporate-governance reports and convenes an annual shareholders meeting (33rd AGM in July 2025), indicating listed-company reporting discipline — likely on a Japanese stock exchange — though ticker is not confirmed in the source material.

Name

Tenpos Holding

Legal name

株式会社テンポスホールディングス

Website

https://tenpos.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Tenpos Holding operates Japan's largest chain of used commercial kitchen equipment retail stores with 80 locations, selling refurbished equipment and providing restaurant opening, financing, and property consulting services to SMB restaurant owners across Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Used Commercial Kitchen Equipment & Restaurant Support Services

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (33331)

SIC

Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080), Wholesale-Hardware & Plumbing & Heating Equipment & Supplies (5070)

akta.pro primary industry

Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Equipment Wholesale (AFAIALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Restaurant Technology Supplies (POS Hardware, Kiosks) Wholesale (AFAIALAM)

Keywords

• Used kitchen equipment
• Restaurant opening support
• Commercial kitchen supplies
• Restaurant equipment wholesale
• Food service consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Second-hand Kitchen Equipment Sales: Sale of used and refurbished kitchen equipment for restaurants including cooking appliances, refrigeration, and storage. Multi-channel sales through physical retail stores and online platform.
2. Restaurant Business Support Services: Comprehensive consulting and support for restaurant opening and operations including store location, financing, interior design, staffing, and management support.
3. Auction Services: Tenpos Auction platform for buying and selling used restaurant equipment and supplies.
4. Restaurant Chain Operations (Steak Asakuma): Operating company-owned steakhouse restaurants under the Asakuma brand with expansion into new formats including curry specialty shops.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tenpos Holding wholesales and distributes used and refurbished commercial kitchen equipment to restaurants through 62+ physical retail stores (Tenpos Busters), an online sales platform (tenpos.com), and an auction service (Tenpos Auction). It also operates the Doctor Tenpos restaurant business support brand, providing consulting on store location, financing, interior design, staffing, and management for restaurant openings and closures, and runs company-owned restaurant chains including Asakuma steakhouse and Yamato Sakana fresh fish stores.

Product overview

Tenpos Holding operates a multi-brand ecosystem centered on used commercial kitchen equipment sales and restaurant business support. The core platform is 'テンポスバスターズ' with 62+ physical stores plus online sales, complemented by the 'ドクターフーポス' consulting services for restaurant opening support. Key sub-brands include specialized showrooms (Kitchen equipment, Chairs & Tables), auction services, and agricultural equipment purchasing. The group also operates restaurant chains including '株式会社あさくま' (steak chain) and 'ヤマトサカナ' (fish shop/dining), providing vertical integration in the restaurant industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• テンポスバスターズ: Main retail brand for used commercial kitchen equipment with 62+ domestic stores
• キッチンテクノ
• あさくま
• ヤマトサカナ
• マルシェ

Products and services

• Tenpos Busters used kitchen equipment retail (physical stores + online) Sale of used and refurbished commercial kitchen equipment (cooking appliances, refrigeration, storage, chairs, tables) to restaurant operators through 62+ physical stores and the tenpos.com e-commerce site; includes nationwide delivery, installation, and all-manufacturer repair support.
• Doctor Tenpos restaurant opening support service One-stop consulting service for restaurant opening and operations covering property search, financing referrals, interior construction, staffing, and management consulting for new and existing restaurant operators.
• Tenpos Auction online auction service Online auction platform for buying and selling used commercial kitchen equipment and restaurant supplies between restaurant operators and other parties.
• Tenpos Bukken restaurant property / inuki introduction service Introduction service for restaurant properties, including inuki (turnkey) locations with existing fixtures/equipment, supporting restaurant openings, transfers, and closures.
• DIY restaurant opening support service Hands-on collaborative service in which Tenpos works with restaurant owners to plan and build out their new restaurant locations together.
• Used kitchen equipment purchase (kaitori) service Direct purchase of used commercial kitchen equipment from restaurants closing or upgrading, with 20,000+ items purchased annually for resale through the Tenpos Busters network.
• Agricultural equipment purchase service Purchase service for used agricultural machinery, extending Tenpos's kaitori (buyback) capability beyond kitchen equipment.
• Asia distribution center bulk purchase service Bulk-purchase service for corporate customers looking to liquidate food, beverage, and daily goods inventory across Asia.
• Asakuma steak restaurant chain Company-owned steakhouse restaurant chain operated through subsidiary Asakuma Co., Ltd., with new-format curry specialty shops launching from July 2025.
• Yamato Sakana fresh fish store and restaurant chain Fresh fish retail combined with dining restaurant format operated through subsidiary Yamato Sakana Co., Ltd., including new combined-store launches.
• Interior construction search (内装サーチ) Search and matching service that connects restaurant owners with interior construction providers for restaurant buildouts.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GurunavicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant information and reservation platform partnership for restaurant opening support services and customer referrals.
• Yamato TransportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogistics and delivery partnership for kitchen equipment transportation and installation services nationwide.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• WebstaurantStore: Largest US-based online commercial kitchen equipment and restaurant supply retailer. Comparable to Tenpos's equipment resale business model, though focused on new equipment and serving as a broad incumbent rather than used-equipment specialist.
• Restaurant Depot: US membership-based warehouse club supplying food, equipment, and supplies to foodservice operators. Comparable to Tenpos in serving SMB restaurants with equipment and supplies, but operates a different channel (warehouse club) and includes consumables.
• Hubert Company: US-based foodservice equipment and supplies distributor serving restaurants, grocery, and hospitality. Comparable to Tenpos in equipment distribution to foodservice operators, though Hubert is a broad-line distributor rather than used-equipment specialist.

Direct peers

• KaTom Restaurant Supply: US-based direct competitor specializing in commercial kitchen equipment and supplies for restaurants, with strong catalog and e-commerce presence. Most directly comparable to Tenpos Busters in product category and target SMB restaurant customer.
• Tundra Restaurant Supply: US-based commercial kitchen equipment and supplies distributor serving restaurants, schools, and government buyers. Comparable to Tenpos in equipment wholesaling focus and SMB restaurant customer base.
• ChefsDeal: US-based restaurant equipment dealer specializing in both new and used commercial kitchen equipment with showrooms. Closest peer to Tenpos Busters given used-equipment inventory model and showroom-based sales approach.
• CKitchen (Commercial Kitchen Supply): US-based used and new commercial kitchen equipment reseller with online and showroom presence. Directly comparable to Tenpos Busters' used-equipment resale core business model.

Others

• Gurunavi: Japanese restaurant information and reservation platform, and Tenpos's strategic partner. Tangentially related as a restaurant industry ecosystem enabler and customer referral source for Tenpos's restaurant opening services.

Regional players

• Steak Aka (あさくま competitors): Japanese steakhouse chain comparable to Tenpos's subsidiary Asakuma. Indirect peer through Tenpos's restaurant chain operations vertical, illustrating the competitive landscape of the steak segment Tenpos has entered.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tenpos Holding